Madrid metro upgrades to contactless transit cards
22 October, 2012
category: Contactless, Transit
The Community of Madrid is extending the new public transport card to all users of the Standard Zone A Transport Season Ticket, replacing the magnetic strip season ticket with contactless technology for the over 350,000 users of this pass.
This new contactless payment technology offers commuters convenient and fast access to the means of transport, and it has a validity of 30 days, so that users can plan their use better in accordance with their needs, achieving a saving of up to one month a year according to estimations of the Madrid Regional Transport Consortium.
Users will be able to replace their magnetic strip season ticket for the new card free of charge until Jan. 15. After that, processing will have a price of four euros, an amount that will also be applied to new users applying for the contactless card. Standard Zone A season ticket holders will be able to renew the card via the Internet, at officially approved tobacconists, or by post.
As from next year, the public transport card will also gradually be extended to the other seasons and subsequently to all users, since this carrier can contain as many as three different types of travel passes, such as for instance a personal season ticket of any kind and zone and two different 10-trip tickets.